


At The Speed of a Heart Beat

by CarolinaMaximoffJones



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-12
Updated: 2016-05-01
Packaged: 2018-06-01 21:44:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6537394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CarolinaMaximoffJones/pseuds/CarolinaMaximoffJones
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A new ending to Quicksilver's story following Diana Petrov, a childhood friend who will suffer at the hands of a HYDRA doctor.<br/>Follows the plot of "Avengers: Age of Ultron".</p>
<p>Warning - May have sensitive topics - viewer discretion is advised!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

_"Let's race!", said the silvered - haired boy jumping around the two girls._   
_"No, it's not fair...", Pouts his twin letting her dark hair fall on her face._   
_"You know you're a lot faster than us...", Said the dark blonde girl nudging the boy lightly._   
_"That's exactly why I want to do it.", Laughed the boy making the two girls laugh as well._

Good moments go by fast and disaster hit the small town of Sokovia. Diana Petrov was only 17 when the bombs fell from the sky. Her mother and father had tried to protect her and shield her - Katrina and Michael Petrov ended up dying on top of their daughter protecting her from the shrapnel and blast of the bombs, as heroes.  
 _"You are stronger than you know, Diana, remember that..."_ , Mother had said to the now orphan child but it was hard to fulfill hearing the screams and cries around her.  
Diana held her parents bodies crying and rocking back and forth until the heavily - armed soldiers broke through the door.  
"Found another one!", Shouted the closer one to the rest of the squad upon laying eyes on Diana. The young girl looked at the man with a glimmer of hope in her eyes behind the tears - "Maybe things would turn out for the best...", she thought.   
It was only when the rest of the soldiers came in and shackled her that she understood that hope could not be found with them. She gave a last look to the lifeless bodies of her parents - they had been good parents but nothing could prepare her for what would happen. She screamed and kicked and called out to everyone she knew - no one came, they were all dead, or worse...they were like her...

The soldiers had a strange symbol on their arms. Some sort of black octopus in a red background. The masks covered their faces and she couldn't recognize man from woman. They wore all black and heavy machinery. As she was being dragged out of the destroyed building, she looked around calling for whoever was listening - everywhere she looked there was destruction, blood, bodies and toys that would never be played with again.

Outside, the sunlight hurt her eyes and she frowned wanting to gaze upon her hometown. An inactive bomb caught the attention of her brown eyes - 'Stark Industries' it read on the side. She was quickly put inside the black truck and she felt the presence of other children inside, the sobs of the orphans filling the silence - "If any of you raises your voice, you'll be knocked unconscious", the soldiers threatened. The children kept silent, controlling their sobs but Diana couldn't. That was against the way she was raised so she screamed - "Maximoff!", hoping they would be there and listened to her. A hit to her head made her fall unconscious inside the truck before she could get an answer.

_Diana screamed - a nightmare - the 8 year-old had dreamt about terrorizing black and red animals eating her family and friends._  
 _Upon her scream, Katrina hurried to the room holding Diana close to her chest._  
 _"It's alright, маленький ангел [little angel], mother is here...", Whispered the woman to her crying daughter as she caressed and kissed her head._  
 _"You were gone, mother...you, father, the twins, everyone...", The child whispered back holding onto her mother sobbing._  
 _"We are all here, маленький ангел, we will always be..."_  
 _Katrina started singing a lullaby - that she always sang for her - and Diana relaxed. The singing turned into humming and the song seemed to have changed..._  
The humming turned into a whistle and a sudden blast of water jerked her awake.

"I'm glad you could join us, Ms. Petrov.", Said the grinning man in a white coat. He had a clipboard in his hands and a group of similarly dressed people behind him; they were all wilding some sort of medical equipment.   
"Who are you? Where am I?", Asked the confused and scared Diana, her eyes still adjusting to the laboratory lights. She noticed she was laying in an hospital bed with her feet and hands trapped - she started to panic looking around for a helpful soul.  
"My name is Dr. Hummel but you, like the other ones, will call me Father.", Said the strange man looking back at his clipboard.

'Father?', Diana thought confused. The doctor was nothing like her father. Michael had short dark blonde hair, just like hers, that was always perfectly groomed while the doctor's ebony hair was long and irregular like he had given up. Michael was a construction worker so his body had been built through the years but she remembered how safe and warm she felt in his arms while the doctor, although having a built body, it looked dangerous able to harm you just by touching him. But the major difference were the eyes, Michael's blue eyes showed love and affection everytime he looked at you, they always made Diana feel safe with him while the doctor's eyes were dark and cold, they seemed to look through you and destroy any goodness inside you.

Dr. Hummel chuckled, the sound hurt Diana 's ears. He lifted his eyes from the clipboard looking amused at the restrained girl.  
"Congratulations, your little stunt in the truck won you a special place in my experiment. Not everyone gets to do it, you should feel honored.", Said the grinning man looking at her and walking closer to her with a syringe in his hand.  
"No...! Don't touch me!", Shouted the girl in panic trying to free herself from the restraints.  
The syringe stung her skin and the clear liquid entered her system making her screams quiet down until she stopped unconscious.  
"This is the start of your new life...", She heard the doctor say before everything went black.


	2. Chapter I - It starts...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana's life in the HYDRA base.

One week without food and water only getting a shot of a yellow liquid everyday - the first phase of the training. Dr. Hummel had set Diana in a dark cage, with only hard wooden bench so the prisioners could stay out of the ground where the usual insects would roam. The guards walked by the cages with food in their hands. You could hear the others gasp and walking to the bars begging for food. The guards would laugh and eat in front of them - a type of torment and torture. On the first two days, Diana had begged for water to the guards but she quickly gave up and her hate for the guards was starting to grow at each day that passed.  
"Very good, Ms. Petrov, it's your turn.", Said Dr. Hummel grinning at the starving girl. "Get her.", Ordered to the two guards behind him.  
The two men - one blond and the other dark-haired - entered the cage smirking at Diana with shackles ready for her. She sat quiet in the bench until they got to her. She kicked the larger one in the stomach but was quickly caught by the blond. The dark-haired grunted and stood back straight, slapping Diana with the back of his hand before shackling her hands.  
"Yes, yes, this one will be perfect...so much stärke [strength]!", said the excited doctor looking at Diana with a grin. "Take her to the laboratory."  
As she was dragged through the dark hallway, the dim lights shun on the other prisoner's faces. Boys, girls, younger, older, all different but all of them shared the same expression - fear and sadness. Although, one of the cells didn't have a face coming out of the bars to see the new victim. Instead, the yellow light shun over a lifeless body of a toddler - too young to survive such treatment. The bright light inside the laboratory distracted Diana from her train of thought. The doctor ordered the men to restrain her and they tightly trapped her hands held up on a pipe.  
"Let's get started, mein schatz [my treasure], I don't want to waste anymore time.", Said the doctor snapping his fingers so that the two men went away to be replaced by other two men in white coats.  
"What are you going to do?", Diana asked looking confused and terrified to the men.  
"We're going to release your value, of course...", Said the doctor as he and the other two picked up electric prods. "But, how do you say...to make an omelette, we'll have to crack a few eggs.", Continued grinning as he approaches Diana with the prods.  
A few seconds later, the girl discovered that her mother was wrong - she was not strong and the electrical strikes caused her screams to echo through the hallways and cages.

 _"For you, мое сокровище [my treasure].", Said her father handing her a medium sized pink pearl he had found while working on a seaside house._  
"It's beautiful, father.", Cheered the 5 year-old Diana carefully holding the pearl and smiling at Michael's loving eyes.  
"Wait, I'll make it so you carry it everywhere...", Michael said taking the pearl from her giving it back half an hour later.  
He had managed to encase the pearl in a necklace.  
"Here...", Said Michael putting the necklace around her neck kneeling in front of the little girl. "Beautiful, as always."  
Diana wrapped her arms around her father's neck for a tight embrace. The warmth calmed her and she smiled on Michael's arms.  
"Good memories won't help you, mein perle [my pearl].", Laughed Dr. Hummel and resumed torturing her - 'training' he called.

Diana ' s body had been worked on for a year now. Her clear light skin was now covered with bruises and cuts. Hummel joined by Joshua and Viktor were her personal demons - each time they seemed to outdo themselves. At night, the crying had diminished, many of the young prisoners had succumbed to death and we're rotting in their cells - the smell filled the air being itself a manner of torture. The ones who still managed to survive sobbed all through the night - a lullaby to the guards and doctors. Diana couldn't cry any longer - she had spent the first month crying and now there were no more tears to spill.  
Memories were her only defense - she escaped to them during the sessions - her mother, father, friends...they were all there to greet her with open arms and a smile in their mouths. Dr. Hummel wanted her to think of his little organisation as family but Diana wouldn't leave her real family, dead or not - this type of behaviour excited the doctor making him spend most of his time taking care of her.  
_"Be strong, Диана [Diana], make us proud..."_ , Diana tried to obey to her mother's words but each time it was getting harder and harder.

 _"My name is Diana, и ты [and you]?", Asked the 4 year old holding a hand-made rag-doll._  
_The two children in front of her were fighting - typical brother-sister behaviour - and they looked at her silencing themselves. Diana had seen the two of them playing before from the window of her room - the silver-haired boy always messed with the dark-haired girl._  
_The twins looked at her and the girl smiled forgetting about her spat with her brother._  
_"I'm Wanda, nice to meet you.", Smiled the girl and followed Diana ' s curious gaze to the boy behind her. "And this is my brother, Pietro."_  
_"Yes, yes, can we play now?", Asked the blue-eyed boy seeming restless._  
_"Can I play with the both of you?", Shily asked Diana looking up at them. They seemed to be one or two years older than her._  
_"Of course.", Replied the girl smiling wide imitating her brother._  
_"Thank you.", Said Diana smiling back._  
"So einfältig [naive], you really think we can't break you?", Asked the grinning doctor and laughed. "We've wasted too much time to give up now, mein liebling [my darling]...", Continued to what Diana spit as a response.  
Slowly, the doctor cleaned his cheek creating a sense of fear in the girl but she kept her strong expression. Then, in a sudden movement, the man whipped her leg causing her to scream.  
"You'll learn how to respect your new family...", Whispered threateningly Dr. Hummel close to her ear. Takes a syringe from his pocket and injecting her - the liquid made her not feel her body, the only relief she had after her times with the doctor even though it was only for a minute. "Take her to her cage.", He ordered to the guards. "We'll see if in the morning, you'll be more cooperative."  
Joshua and Viktor took her to her filthy cage, throwing her to the wet floor where she stood until the effects of the liquid wore off.  
"Happy Birthday, Petrov.", Joshua said laughing as they left the cage and locked it.  
18 years old, the first birthday she spent without her family - she wept for the first time in months.

That night, she fell asleep holding her own body as she laid on the bench and dreamt - the only thing she could do in that hell.

_Diana ' s father and mother sat at the table smiling at her. In front of her a cake with ten lit candles. By her sides, Pietro and Wanda stood quiet - the blood dripping from their heads seemed to be normal for the family._  
_"Blow the candles, маленький ангел [little angel]...", Said Katrina softly smiling at Diana._  
_"Yes, yes, we have presents, mein schatz.", Said Michael with darker hair and hollow eyes but still he smiled._  
_Diana blew the candles and looked at the cake - the words 'Happy Birthday' were written in black on a red background._  
_"Welcome to your new family.", Father said making her look at him - Katrina, Pietro and Wanda had been replaced by guards and doctors in white coats._

Diana woke up screaming with balls of sweat on her forehead - it was starting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and Comments, please and thank you! :*


	3. Chapter II - The Turning Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite her efforts, Diana will suffer an experience that will make her give up.
> 
> Warning! - this chapter has a graphic scene - you have been warned

Diana had lost track of time - it could have been weeks, months, years since she had been there. The Doctor had intensified the 'trainings' and she escaped to her memories even more. She watched her 'brothers' and 'sisters' grow into trained soldiers with an empty look in their eyes - she was the only one who still resisted.  
"Nein, I will succeed in breaking her, she will be valuable to our operation, Baron.", Diana heard Dr. Hummel 's voice talking on the end of the hallway waking her up.  
"We have made progress with the twins, I don't know if we'll need her, doctor.", Said an unknown harsh voice in return.  
"Plus, you wasted a lot of time in her and she still hasn't break.", Said another voice this time more mellow.  
"I can do it! Trust me...", Said Dr. Hummel in a lower voice as if he was begging.  
"You have one week...!", Said the most harsh voice in a command.  
"I will start right away.", Answered the doctor moving away from the other two voices.

Diana quickly closed her eyes hoping he wouldn't come to her. A set of steps joined the doctor's and she started to think the worse. They stopped inches from the cell door and they whispered to each other. The frightened girl tried to understand what was being said but with no luck. Suddenly, the door opened and Diana heard someone walk in - she kept her eyes closed trying to calm her breathing so it seemed she was still asleep.

"Wake up, Petrov.", Said a voice close to her that Diana recognised as being Viktor.  
When the girl didn't answer, the dark-haired man held her arm tightly and made her get up. She opened her eyes as soon as he touched her and looked at the man's expressionless face with fear.  
"Father is getting impatient.", Viktor said as he made her stand up, her weak knees making him tighten his grip on her arms.  
Diana didn't have time to say anything because the man had quickly started ripping off her clothes.  
"What are you doing?!", Asked the frightened girl trying to cover her body.  
"Shut up!", The man said through clenched teeth. He quickly pinned her to the wall with her hands retained under his grip.  
"Stop, please...", Begged Diana starting to panic.  
The man ignored her requests and started to unbutton his pants letting them fall to his knees. Diana closed her eyes and screamed when she felt the man inside her.  
"I told you to shut up!", said Viktor covering her mouth as he picked up his speed.  
Diana had never been with anyone before - she had had a boyfriend back in Sokovia but her heart had always belonged to another and they never got this far. She bit Viktor 's hand, as her legs were far too weak from his thrusts to move, in a last hope to make him leave. That only got her a strong slap in the face and quicker thrusts inside her. Diana closed her eyes as the man did everything he wanted with her body - she felt hope drain out of her, no one would come to save her nor did she had the strength to fight back anymore. Her screams started to quiet down as the man slowed down until he stopped. Viktor threw her weak body on the floor and left the cell. Diana was left there naked, bloody and tearful - she didn't have the strength to stand up nor did she want to. She curled up into a ball, trying to soothe her shaking body.

Diana was left there for the next day. No food, no water. Until, the doctor entered the room followed by the two guards. The girl didn't stand up and the doctor grinned.  
"Mein liebling [my darling], it seems you are ready, ja [yes]?", Asked the doctor to which he received no answer. He nodded at the two men who dragged her to a white tilled room where two women stood with blue coats. "I want her ready in 5.", Ordered Dr. Hummel as Joshua and Viktor dropped Diana on the floor.

The two nurses nodded and took the girl to some sort of shower where they cleaned her up - her movements were harsh on Diana ' s sore body and the girl whimpered as the women worked. They cleaned her up and put her in new clothes. Diana was forced to walk to the laboratory too weak to fight back. Joshua and Viktor got her into her usual position and went back to stand behind the doctor.

"Now, mein perle [ my pearl ], are you ready to be a part of this family?", Asked the man close to her face.  
"Yes, father.", she whispered looking down.  
"Hervorragend [Excellent]!", said the grinning man walking back to get some tools to finish her training.  
She cried during the training but she felt it make her stronger - she had had a family and now she found another one, one that would be with her forever and would make her stronger.

_Diana stood on a white room in front of her was a bloody body - it was dead, its brown eyes were empty and its dark-blonde hair was lifeless._  
_"It was weak, it had to die.", Said a voice from behind her - at first it resembled Pietro's but, as she turned around to face it, it changed to the dark-haired guard and she was facing Viktor._  
_"Yes, you're with us now, we make you stronger.", Said someone beside Viktor - at first a feminine voice turning into a man's voice as she faced Joshua._  
_She looked around trying to find her mother - she was always there._  
_"She's gone, mein perle [my pearl], you only have us now...", Said a paternal voice from behind her. She turned to see the doctor's raven hair falling on hollow dark eyes._

She felt safe and warm - she felt like she was part of a family again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love to know your opinions, Thank you for reading !


	4. Chapter III - Freedom?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plot meets the movie plot and the base gets attacked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, I hope you like it !

Her old filthy cell was replaced by one with a bed and a lamp on the upper floor next to a whole new lab - Diana hadn't felt the softness of a bed in years. Father gave her that one, specially, because "she had cracked and it had been perfekt [perfect]". Dr. Hummel had stopped the 'trainings' and she was now practising to fight. But not before spending some time with the doctor in a white room with a table and two chairs in its middle. There, he placed pictures of strange people that she would have to help him destroy in the name of her new family.  
"This one is Steve Rogers, an enhanced just like many of my experiments, a super soldier.", Says Dr. Hummel placing two pictures on the table. In one, the light-haired man was with normal clothes and he was smiling - He seemed nice but she had to think of him as the enemy. In the other, he was wearing a blue, red and white outfit and holding a shield. "You must not engage in combat with him because he will be stronger than you.", Diana just nodded as she looked at the pictures.  
"This is Iron Man, a billionaire with a super suit.", Says the doctor placing two pictures on the table on top of Steve's. In one, the man with black hair was wearing sunglasses and it seemed like he was giving an interview. In the other, he was wearing a red and yellow mechanical suit. "His real name is Tony Stark and you can only engage if he isn't wearing his suit.", As he said his name, Diana looked at him.  
"Stark?", She asked with her eyes glowing from hate and a hint of revenge.  
"Ja [yes], you know of him?", The doctor asked looking at her with a raised eyebrow.  
"He was the one who destroyed my дом [home]...", she answered looking at Tony's pictures - his arrogant look made her want to punch it.  
The doctor's grin widdened as he looked at Diana. "Let's make a deal, mein schatz [my treasure]..."  
Diana looked at the doctor curious.  
"You help me bring down the Avengers and SHIELD and I'll let you have your way with Tony Stark. What do you say?", Asked the grinning doctor.  
"Yes, please, Father.", Said Diana not holding back a grin.

Through the rest of the week, Dr. Hummel started to administer an indigo liquid in Diana's body through a syringe - it would make her "indestructible if administered correctly". Besides that, she went through intensive training with weapons and in skin-to-skin combat, adding up to make her a true soldier. The indigo liquid was supposed to take a month to make the results noticeable but, as she was being administered the daily dose for the seventh day, the alarms started to sound catching everyone's attention - "the Avengers are attacking the facilities!", she heard.   
Dr. Hummel hurried to her side after talking to the others and took the straps from her wrists and ankles. A nurse ran to his side carrying a bagpack and Viktor ran in behind her.  
"We must leave.", Said Viktor out of breath carrying a backpack himself.   
"Ja [yes], you must leave with Viktor, mein schatz [my darling].", Said Dr. Hummel finishing taking the straps off her.   
Diana nodded but looked at him with an expressioless look. "What about you, Father?"  
"I must stay but you need to finish your mission. Don't let anything or anyone move you from it.", Ordered and looked at Viktor. "Someone should contact you soon..."   
Viktor nodded and held Diana's upper arm tightly making her move out of there already holding both backpacks. The girl looked one last at the doctor before going through the door. As they were leaving the building, Diana could have sworn she had seen a blue streak on the end of the hallway and red lights - somehow they seemed familiar but Viktor pulled her quickly out of there. They moved through the forest avoiding everyone - they were almost caught by the giant green creature that the doctor called Hulk but they were agile enough to escape.   
They stopped when it started to get dark and they were miles away from the building. Diana was finally able to feel the fresh air. She smiled looking around but when she laid her eyes on Viktor who was setting the tents and the fire and she frowned. She now has a mission and is out there making it happen but she was with him - Father had ordered her to never let her emotions take over her and to always hide them. She had to keep going with him and make Father proud.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you like it! Thank you for reading! ❤


End file.
